What Colleges Won't Tell You: There's much you should know before going or sending your child to college.

Most people today believe that college is a must—if not for the learning, as the hunting license for a decent job. So they don’t look too closely at what colleges provide vs. other post-secondary options, such as apprenticeships or the military.

Many respected entities have tried to warn students about college. For example, the cover story of the August 2016 issue of Consumer Reports was headlined, "I Kind of Ruined My Life by Going to College."

The Great College Degree Scam, in the prestigious Chronicle of Higher education’ reported that 60 percent of the increased number of college graduates from 1992 to 2008 work on jobs require high school diploma.

In my private practice, I suggest that certain students would be wise to at least defer college, but the college-is-a-must meme has been too deeply implanted by high school counselors, the media, and the very-convinced parents: “You earn a million dollars more! (A canard—see my article below.) Besides, what would I tell my friends, that my child, who could have gotten into a brand-name college isn’t going to college at all, or ‘just’ to a community college?”

Despite that, as we approach the May 1 deadline, the date most colleges require prospective students to plunk down their commitment money, I believe I should take a shot at giving you pause. I do that as my contribution today to PsychologyToday.com.